The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-21
Remarkable Immigration.


On Thursday night Parnellite called at
teutior in Parliament to the remarkable
emigration from Ireland and asked the rea-
son oft. Col. King-Harmon, Parliamentary
Under Secretary for ireland, said the reason
was the lack of employment and the disin-
clination of the people to join societies. The
societies referred to are those which are
hostile to the English government.
The reasons given by the Under Secretary
are not entirely true. There may be a lack
Of employment, but why! There was a
time when ireland contained twice as many
people as at present, and they were
better off than the people now The
truth is that English rule has destroyed
Ireland's industries, and the grasping
landlord system has greatly reduced the
producing power of the land. Without
manufactures and with poor land it is not
to be wondered at that the people are leav
ing the country as fast as they can. There
are those who cannot understand why there
is such a constant demand for reduction of
rents. The reason is that tenants cannot
make a living and pay even the rents that
have been fixed by the judicial tribunals.
For long time crops have been taken
from the land and little or nothing has been
put upon it to fertilize it. The landlords
have refused to provide fertilizers and ten
ants havJ not been able to do so The con
sequence is that the land, though naturally
rich, isreally very poor. The tenants, strive
as they may, cannot respond TO the demands
of the landlords. The emigration from Ire
land is as great now as it was in 1S49 and
1850, when famine forced the people to
leave the country. Thousands are arriving
at Castle Garden, New York, every week.
Up to May there had arrived in this
country this year, of different nationalities,
133, III immigrants. This was nearly 5000
more than for the same time last year.
Aspecial effort is being made by Irishmen
in this country to bring their relatives and
friends here, and that is one of the reasons
why the Irish immigration is so very much
larger this year than last. IL is estimated
that hundreds Of millions of dollars have
been sent from Irishmen in this country to
those dependent upon them in Ireland. The
greater part of this money has found its
way into the pockets of the landlords
Those who received it used it to pay their
rents and save their homes. Irishmen here
have, therefore, concluded that it is a much
wiser plan to bring to this country those
dependent upon them, where they viii soon
be able TO make a comfortable living for
themselves. All this year money has been
forwarded to Ireland not to pay rents, but to
meet the expenses of coming to this country.
At the present rate of emigration it would
not take many years to depopulate Ireland.
That, however, viii hardly be the solution
of the Irish question. All Irishmen are not
going to leave their native land, and the
fight against England is bound to go on un
til England comedies to the Irish people the
management of their own affairs.
Here and there in the press the feeling i!
| cropping out that this country is receiving
too many immigrants, and the fear is ex
pressed that they are coming in such mum
bers as to threaten to change the characte
of the American people. There is no occa
sion for fear of that kind. A well-knowl
writer says that when tse danger of being
swamped by too much immigration wa
suggested TO the late HNlry Ward Beeche
he made light Of it by saying: "When liol
east lamb the lion does not turn into
lamb, but the lamb becomes a lion"